Broken Wings
by ComradeUncleJoe
Summary: Lightning Bolt has a tragic accident while performing his show with his brother at Canterlot. Soon Lightning loses all hope for life, but when he meets a fellow pegasus and dare-devil, Rainbow Dash, he finds life isn't so bleak and miserable after all.
1. Chapter 1: Broken Wings and Broken Dream

**(Authors Note: This is my first fanfiction. I've always wanted to try my hand at writing. If it's no good, that's my bad, but i hope to improve as i continue. thank you for reading and thank you for any advice/ constructive criticism you provide.)**

Chapter 1: Broken Wings and Broken Dreams

Lightning Bolt sat with his face buried in his hooves. This night, like so many nights before, he sat awake in the small bed of his room. He had just awoken from a terrible nightmare, dripping with sweat, and breathing heavily. Lightning had been having this same nightmare for weeks; it became so bad he often just stayed awake for days, just to avoid dreaming. He would abstain from sleep until he physically couldn't and would collapse, hopefully, on his bed. It wasn't even really a nightmare, more of a memory, a memory of what happened 3 months before, and tonight, it was worse than before. Lightning just sat there, remembering the awful event.

3 months before, Lighting Bolt was the best flyer in all of Las Pegasus. He often performed shows with his younger brother Thunder Struck, who was a unicorn himself, to earn money. The two brothers were quite good at their job as well. Lightning would perform daring, extreme stunts midair while Thunder conjured magical obstacles for Lightning and performed magic tricks between stunts. The two were famous for their shows and people came from all over Equestria to see, they even got a few visits from the Royal Sisters.

Lightning Bolt was cocky, hot-headed, and always pushing himself to the extreme. He had dreams of becoming a Wonderbolt, flying amongst the ranks of these prestigious ponies. To achieve this dream he always was testing himself. Lightning would fly at top speeds everywhere, just to see how fast he could get somewhere. He would invent new, more dangerous stunts and practice them on his down time from shows. Everything he did was to better his abilities and to prove himself to the Wonderbolts.

He had been practicing one trick for weeks; he called it the Lightning Crack and believed it would be enough to get him into the Wonderbolts. This trick Lightning created was second only to the fabled Sonic Rainboom which he had heard had been done by a Pegasus in a small town far off from his own home. He had been practicing this for so long and was ready to unveil it at his next show, a show he learned, that would be held in Canterlot and attended by Luna and Celestia, as well as delegates from the Griffin Kingdom and the top members of the Wonderbolts.

"Really?!" Lightning could hardly hold his enthusiasm as he spoke to his younger brother. He had just received the greatest news he ever heard.

"Yeah Bro!" Thunder said. He could sense the excitement in Lightning's voice as he spoke. "I got the message yesterday from one of Celestia's messengers. She wants us to go to Canterlot to perform our act for the Griffon delegates."

Lightning was shocked. He never dreamed he'd actually go to Canterlot and perform for Luna and Celestia under such formal circumstances. Performing for important people was nothing new to the Brothers; the two had done their act before a whole cast of important and famous ponies and even non-ponies, but this was different, it wasn't a small side show performed for tips, it was a huge performance, complete with pre shows and after shows and professional stage workers. Lightning knew this was his chance for glory.

"Rad T! If we pull this off, we'll be gold bro!" excitement filled Lightning to the brim. "T, I need you to practice your best spells. This is our chance to move up in the world."

"No doubt man, I got several spells I've been working on and I'm eager to show them off." Thunder went on to tell Lightning the details. The two were to leave a week from then, and stay at Canterlot for 3 days performing smaller shows the first two days and one big show the final day.

Lightning began practicing immediately. He practiced the basic loops and spins and whirls. He had done these so many times they proved no challenge and he easily sped through the basics. He gradually moved onto more advance tricks, again, these proved no challenge. Then Lightning decided to try his new move. He had never been able to pull it off, even though he knew it was possible. He did all the calculations and refined his move to perfection, but he just could not pull it off. Today however, he felt lucky. He flew into the sky in a circular motion, leaving behind clouds. He flew higher and higher and increased speed. Then he spun around and shot through the clouds he gathered. He rocketed through as fast as he could, but as he increased speed, he began to lose control. He began shaking and wobbling. Then he lost all control and crashed straight into the ground.

Lightning lay there and felt as if he had been hit by a boulder. He tried to get up, but a sharp pain shot through his wings and he collapsed on the ground. Lightning was in so much pain he couldn't move a muscle. Thunder quickly ran over to help his brother. Worry was all over his face as he watched his brother struggle.

"Lightning! Are you ok?!" Thunder tried to help lightning up, but as he picked him up, lightning let out a cry of pain.

"M-my wings… I think they're broken T." Lightning was on the verge of tears.

"Lightning, wait here, I'll get a doctor!" Thunder galloped off to find help for his brother.

Soon Lightning was in the hospital; he couldn't help but feel bad. He possibly jeopardized his and his brother's chances of greatness. His wings could possibly be broken, and for who knows how long!

"Mr. Bolt, I have some good news and some bad news," the doctor strolled into the room intently looking at a clipboard. "the good news is you're wings aren't broken, they are just sprained, the bad news is you can't fly with them. If you do, you risk another injury, and next time it could be far, far worse."

"So I can't fly? B-but I have a show to do! In Canterlot! I have to be there doc!"

"I'm sorry, but I must insist you don't fly. You needn't risk a worse injury. No flying Mr. Bolt."

Lightning couldn't believe it, so much hard work, all lost because of one accident. He couldn't bear it, the shame, the guilt; he felt he had ruined both his and his brother's chances to make it big. He failed…

"H-how long before my wings are healed?" Lightning choked on his words as they left.

"I'd say at least 3 weeks before your wings are completely healed."

3 weeks? Lightning was stunned. He couldn't remember a time when he couldn't fly, now he was grounded for 3 weeks. What could he do? His brother needed him now more than ever. They were a team, a performing duo. Lightning would be lost without Thunder and the same could be said for Thunder.

"Thanks doc. C-could we keep this between us? I'd prefer to tell Thunder myself, if that's ok."

"I suppose that's fine, just be careful Mr. Bolt." The Doctor eyed Lightning to find any mischievous intent; he had been his doctor for years now and could tell if he was hiding anything. Today however, he couldn't see beyond Lightning's sad look.

Before Lightning knew it, the time had come to go to Canterlot. The duo boarded the train for their destination and was off; excitement filled both to the brim. Something had been nagging at Thunder's mind ever since Lightning got back from the hospital. Lightning didn't tell him what the doctor said or what was wrong, but he could see how upset Lightning was about it. He didn't mention it at first, because he didn't want to upset his brother, but now, as they were so close to Canterlot, he wanted to know.

"Hey Lightning, can I ask you something?" Thunder asked nervously. he didn't want to upset his brother so close to the show, but he had to know.

"You just did, but I'll allow another question only because you're my bro T." Lightning joked to his brother, but he could see the concern in his eyes.

"It's just…are you ok? Will you be able to perform Lightning?"

Lightning sat in his seat quietly; he didn't answer at first and the two just sat in silence. Finally Lightning spoke up, "Of course I'm ok! The doctor just said I sprained my wings, but the healed already. Don't worry T. everything is fine." Lightning didn't lie, his wing was sprained and it does feel better now, he just didn't tell the whole truth. He wouldn't let a minor hurt wing stand in the way of his dreams.

Thunder didn't think it was that simple, but he didn't pursue it any further. He laid down in his train seat and closed his eyes to catch some sleep. He couldn't shake the feeling something was wrong though.

Soon the two had reached their destination of Canterlot. The magical city was even more amazing than they had imagined. Las Pegasus was impressive in its own right, but couldn't compare to the majesty that was Canterlot.

As the brothers got off the train, they were greeted by a group of royal assistants to the Sisters. The group led them to where they'd be staying and told them the schedule for everything. The hotel Lightning and Thunder were staying in was amazing, they each got separate rooms, complete with their own baths, hot tubs, pool tables (Thunder's personal favorite game), and refrigerators full of their favorite foods. The two were set and ready for their performance.

For the next two days the brothers performed their best, showing magic skills and daring flight stunts. They made the crowds go wild, met some of the most famous people in Equestria, and even had dinner with the sisters. Thunder personally enjoyed dinner the most, he had always had a bit of a crush on Princess Luna and thoroughly enjoyed telling her of the spells he created and listening to her tell of her own spells. The brothers were having the time of their life.

Finally the day came, the final day of performing, their last show in Canterlot. The Brothers had planned a huge, epic performance. Thunder was going to do his new spell to summon a gift for Luna, and Lightning was going to perform his daring Lightning Crack. The day was set and the two were ready, nothing was going to stop them.

Lightning had been experiencing sharp pains in his wings during his shows, but has managed to fight through them. Today he could not let the pain overwhelm him; he had to fight through it. He had iced his wings and been getting massages to soothe the pain and believed he was ready. He thought to himself that he'd better not screw up, or they'll both suffer. He wondered if he should have told Thunder about his wings, they could have rescheduled after all if Lightning wasn't up to it. Too late now, he had to do it.

The final show began and was a huge hit. After several tricks and stunts, Thunder summoned a beautiful star and gave it to Luna, this was the cue for Lightning, the show was wrapping up and he needed to do his ultimate trick. Now, or never Lightning thought to himself. He flew high into the air, swirling and gathering clouds as he did. He reached the peak and sharply turned, a sharp pain shot through his wing, he ignored it shot downwards. He rocketed to the ground, flapping as fast as he could, gathering more and more speed. The pain grew worse, again he ignored it. Finally he had reached top speeds, sparks were shooting off him, he was flying as fast as lighting itself. Then, Lightning heard a loud crack, and then he felt a horrible, horrible pain in his wing. They locked up and he lost control. His wings were broken, he could tell, and the pain made him almost pass out. He went careening into the ground.

When Lightning crashed into the ground, it sounded as if a bomb went off. The cloud of dust his crash made floated through the stadium. No one could see, and everyone was stunned. No one knew what to think.

"LIGHTNING!" Thunder cried out as he ran towards his brother. The dust cleared and all saw the crater. Thunder reached his brother and grabbed him. Lightning was in a broken heap. Blood and dirt covered him head to toe.

Lightning slowly open his eyes, everything was blurry and he heard a loud ringing in his ears. All he felt was the pain in his wings. "Lightning! Don't worry bro, h-help is on the way…" Lightning watched as his brother began crying and calling for help. He saw the fear, what had happened he wondered. Slowly, Lightning closed his eyes and then…darkness…

Lightning opened his eyes slowly, they were blurry, but slowly he regained focus. He was back in his room. He looked around; his many Wonderbolts posters covered the walls from one end to the other. It was dark, as it was still early, but he could clearly make out the old posters, his pictures, even his favorite hat hanging on the rack.

Slowly, Lightning reached to his back to feel around. He didn't know why he kept doing it, he just did. He didn't expect anything to be different, but he felt he just had to. The accident was so long ago, yet it left him a constant reminder. Finally he slowly pulled his hooves away and looked at them. He just sat there, staring, he was so lost in his own thoughts he didn't realize the door to his room slowly opened.


	2. Chapter 2: Train Ride There

Chapter 2: Train Ride There

Rainbow Dash was fast asleep on a passing cloud; she had just finished her duties of clearing the sky. She had been busy getting everything ready for her upcoming trip to Las Pegasus with her friends. She needed to make sure the entire sky was clear and the weather team was ready to manage the skies, after all, she didn't want to come home to chaotic weather. After several days of busy work, Dash was beat and was ready to catch some Z's. all her work was done, all she had to do was close her eyes…

"RAINBOW DAAAASH!" Rainbow knew that voice anywhere, it was Pinkie Pie. The hot pink, over-the-top pony was barreling towards Rainbow Dash at speeds she herself envied.

"Aw Pinkie, what do you want? Can't you see I'm trying to rest before our trip?" she couldn't help but say it with slight annoyance in her voice.

"But Rainbow, Twighlight said I needed to find you so I ran off to find you, but then I realized she didn't tell me why. So I ran back and Blah Blah Blah train leaving Blah Blah Blah party for Gummy Blah Blah…"

"Wait, Twighlight said what?!"

"What? Oh Twighlight said the train was leaving soon and Blah Blah Blah…"

"The trains leaving?!" Rainbow quickly snatched up Pinkie, which didn't slow down the unstoppable pony, and flew towards the train station.

Luckily, Rainbow Dash was the fastest pony in all of Ponyville, even Equestria, and made it to the station is 20 seconds flat.

"H-hey everypony," Rainbow was gasping for breath; she was still tired from working and wasn't entirely up for rushing anywhere.

"Hey Twi! I found Rainbow Dash!" Pinkie was dangling from Dash's hoof and couldn't contain her excitement.

"Rainbow, I told you to what time we were supposed to be here! You should've been here sooner." Twighlight scolded her friend for no real reason other than to scold.

"Yeah, what was I thinking? Not like I had tons of work I needed to get done." Rainbow just rolled her eyes and brushed off Twighlights comment.

"C'mon ya'll, no time fer standin' around, the trains about ta leave." Applejack quickly chimed in to get the ponies attention.

"Yes darlings, we simply must hurry before it leaves. I'd rather not have to miss this trip; I've needed it for ages." Rarity hurried unto the train before the rest. "Come along Spikey Wikey, I require all of my luggage for this trip."

"Ugh, o-ok Rarity, anything for you. Oomph!" Spike fell over, dropping most of the suitcases.

The rest of the ponies hurried onto the train just as the conductor began his last boarding call. Then the train lurched forward, bellowing smoke, and was off. The train sped down the tracks towards Las Pegasus. Excitement filled the train; everyone was ready for a week in the wildest, funnest city in Equestria.

The six ponies sat in their own personal train car discussing their plans for vacation. Celestia herself had arranged this trip for the ponies as a well-earned reward for saving Equestria so many times. A whole week in Las Pegasus, a city where anything goes. The girls were ready and discussed their plans.

"Oh darlings I cannot contain my excitement. I've always wanted to go to Las Pegasus."

"Rarity, what would someone as prim and proper as you want to do in Las Pegasus?" Dash joked with Rarity, but the girls all knew it was true; Las Pegasus didn't seem like the place for Rarity of all people.

"Darling, you don't know how stressful it's been as of late! I've had more orders than normal lately, and Sweetie Belle is always a handful. I needed time to unwind."

"Ah don't know 'bout ya'll, but ah fer one plan ta hit up the bars and try out the cider here. The apple farm has been mighty stressful lately." Applejack chimed in, giving her two cents on the matter.

"Ooo! Are we telling what our plans are? I plan on throwing a huge party in our suite! A whole week of nothing but partying!"

"Pinkie, all you ever think of is partying. Don'tcha wanna do somethin' else? Ah mean we are gonna be in Las Pegasus, it's time fer new things."

"Jeez Apples, partying isn't all I do, I do other things, like Bio-Chemistry!"

The train chugged on towards their destination. It would be awhile before they get there, so the girls continued to converse amongst themselves.

"Well I for one plan on staying at our suite to catch up on my studying." Twighlight's typical answer to everything, study or test taking.

"You're such an egghead Twi." Dash rolled her eyes at Twighlights statement, "what are you gonna do Fluttershy?"

"O-oh…m-me? I don't think I'll be leaving my room very much this week. Las Pegasus really isn't my idea of fun…" Fluttershy, with her typical quiet voice, told the group her plans. Nothing particularly special, in fact it sounded kind of boring really.

"Rainbow Dash, what do you plan to do this week?" Twighlight asked. She wasn't entirely sure what to think Dash would do.

"Me? I heard there's this pony there who is one of the best fliers in all of Equestria. I plan to challenge him to a race and beat him! Everyone will know that I'm the best flier in the world!" Rainbow pushed out her chest in a triumphant fashion.

The group continued to talk long into the night as the train continued towards its destination. It would be 2 days before they arrived in Las Pegasus, but they didn't mind; the trip was more than worth it. While the girls talked amongst themselves, Spike was making sure the girls' possessions were taken care of and getting them refreshments. A dragon's job is never done.


	3. Chapter 3: Las Pegasus

Chapter 3: Las Pegasus

The train pulled into the station at 5 in the morning on a Saturday. It slowed to a crawl and finally a complete stop, steam bellowed from underneath the iron horse as it stopped. The train let out a loud bellow and a sharp whistle to let everyone know it had stopped. Slowly ponies began filing off the train, many were already tipsy from the train ride and other were just flat out tired.

The Mane Six hopped off the train after everyone else and began taking in their surroundings. The city of Las Pegasus was one of the largest in Equestria, the tall towers and bright lights covered the desert landscape. Even this early, the streets were busy, the Six could see all manner of ponies walking along the sidewalks. Far in the distance they could see a high tower, this was where they'd be staying for the next week, Giovani Tower, the second highest tower in Equestria.

Before they could do anything, Rainbow flew into the air, "I'll see you guys at our suite, I gotta go find that Pegasus."

"Wait Dash! Do you even know this ponies name?" Twighlight asked.

"I think its Lightning something or other. Idk, but I know where he lives and that's all that matters." And with that, Rainbow Dash flew off towards her destination

The other ponies just sighed at their friend's rashness and went off towards their destination. Spike followed close behind with their luggage.

Rainbow Dash rocketed through the streets, only stopping to ask for a Pegasus named Lightning. Everyone knew the pony, but no one Dash asked could tell her where he lived. She kept flying around the city, asking everyone she met about Lightning, but either they didn't know, or didn't want to talk, Dash couldn't tell which it was most of the time. Finally, after what seemed like forever (although it had only been 30 minutes), Dash met a pony who told her where the pony she was looking for lived.

Dash rocketed towards the pony's home. This was her chance to prove she was the best flier in Equestria, all she had to do was beat this other pony in some sort of contest, and then everyone would know she was the best of the best.

Rainbow flew into the neighborhood this pony's apartment was supposed to be in, the whole place smelled awful and was the dirtiest she had ever seen. "Jeez, one of the best fliers in Equestria lives in this dumpy neighborhood?"

Dash reached the small apartment she was told Lightning lived in, it was worse than the rest of the buildings in this neighborhood. She went into the apartment and strolled up to the pony behind a small desk.

"Um…excuse me?"

The pony behind the desk didn't look up. She had a cigarette in her mouth and her hair was grayish red and in a bun. She had a pair of red glasses with purple polka dots and a thin chain on it wrapping around the back of her neck.

"You know smoking is bad for you, right?

The pony behind the desk slowly looked up from her magazine, "You know my motha lived to be a hundred years old."

"By smoking?

"By mindin' her damn business. Now whadya want kid?"

"Um…I was wondering if you could tell me what room a Pegasus named Lightning lived in?

"You know what time it is kid?"

"um…"

"It's so late it's tomorrow! And you wanna bother me while I'm working this late fer that?"

"Sorry, but I need to find him!" Rainbow Dash was getting annoyed by this ladies nerve and didn't want to waste time talking.

"Fine kid." The pony slowly set her magazine down and lowly pulled out a ledger of all the ponies staying in her apartment and began to thumb through it. "The only pony wit' th' name Lightning is Lightning Bolt, good kid. He lives in apartment numbah 420 on the 18th floor."

"Thank you ma'am!" Rainbow quickly shot to the elevator, but a sign said "out of order"

"Aw man!" So instead Dash shot up the stairs towards the 18th floor, which she reached in an instant, and began her search for the number 420.

She began down the hallway to her destination. Water was dripping from the ceiling into a puddle in the hall with a "wet floor" sign next to it. One door was ripped off its hinges and cracked in half. One pony was lying in the hallway with a bottle of hard cider out cold. "This place was a dump!" Dash thought to herself.

Rainbow made her way down the hallway until she made it to room 420. She slowly reached up and knocked lightly….No answer. She knocked again, this time louder, again, no answer. Dash began banging on the door, "Why aren't they answering!"

Finally after a few minutes of banging she heard the sound of several locks being unlocked. Slowly the door opened; behind it was a white unicorn with a gray mane.

"Can I help you?" asked the unicorn.

"Yeah, Is Lightning Bolt here?"

"Yeah…why?"

"I need to talk to him about something."

"Sorry, but I don't think that'd be a good idea…"

"And just why not?!" Rainbow Dash didn't like this pony's attitude, who did he think he was?

"Because it's 5:36 in the morning and Lightning is trying to sleep."

"He can sleep when he's dead!" Dash barged past the unicorn pony and began searching around for Lightning.

"Hey! What are you doing?!"

"Looking for Lighting, duh." Dash reached a door that had a sign saying "Lightning's room" and opened the door. "Finally, I've found you."

Slowly Dash went inside, it was dark, but she could make out the shape of a pony sitting upright on the bed. She began to approach the pony but stopped; something wasn't right. This pony, something was just…wrong about him.

"Um…ex-excuse me?" Dash choked on her words, she had trouble with speaking for some reason. The atmosphere in the room paralyzed her.

The pony looked up from staring at his hooves and stared at Rainbow Dash. There was a strange look in his eyes; he looked as if he lost something, something important.

Dash didn't say anything more. An eerie silence blanketed the room as the pony got up from his bed. It was too dark to see clearly, but something was definitely not right. The pony came closer, the silence grew more intense.

"Hello, my name is Lightning Bolt. You must be Rainbow Dash, I've always wanted to meet you. They say you are one of the best fliers in Equestria."

Lightning Bolt walked closer. As he stepped into the light Rainbow could clearly see him. Lightning Bolt had no wings.


	4. Chapter 4: Stunning Realizations

Chapter 4: Stunning Realizations

Dash was shocked; this was one of the fastest ponies in Equestria, One of the best fliers? He had no wings; he looked like an earth pony, but smaller.

"How do you know my name?" Rainbow Dash asked, still shocked and confused.

"Well I imagine the same way you know my name."

"Uh Hu, and how's that?" Dash asked inquisitively.

Lighting walked past Dash and into the living room purposely ignoring Dash's question. A he walked by, Dash could see 2 stubs on his back, right where wings go. Suddenly, it hit Dash like a ton of bricks.

"Y-you lost your wings…" Dash couldn't help but blurt it out. As soon as she said that she realized her mistake. "I'm so sorry! I didn't mean to-"

Lightning cut her off before she could finish, "Hey don't worry about it, I haven't had wings for 3 months now. I've Kind of gotten used to it."

Dash still felt bad about her careless remark, but didn't say anything else about it.

"Lightning, I'm sorry, this pony just barged in. I tried to keep her from waking you." The unicorn began apologizing; Dash didn't know why, it's not like it's his fault.

"Be cool T., it ain't your fault." Lightning placed a hoof on the unicorns shoulder and gave him a reassuring smile. "This is Thunder by the way," he said to Dash, "T., this is Rainbow Dash."

Thunder looked at Rainbow, "H-hello Ms. Dash."

"Um, you can just call me Rainbow Dash."

Thunder didn't respond to her statement, instead he directed his attention back to his brother. "Lightning, since you're awake, I'm going to cook some breakfast."

"Thanks T." Lightning patted the small unicorn on the head, and then turned back to Dash. "Care to have a seat Dashie?" Dashie? Only her parents have ever called her Dashie. She had never liked that name; not even her friends called her that, but when he did, she felt strange. In fact, she just noticed how strange she felt just by laying eyes on him. Something about this pony, it made Rainbow feel…odd. She couldn't tell what this feeling was.

"Listen buddy, nobody calls me "Dashie", got it?" Rainbow protested, but she oddly liked it when he said Dashie.

"Oh, sorry Dashie, I didn't mean to upset you." Either when he said that he didn't notice, or just didn't care.

Lightning sat down on a dingy looking couch and turned on the news. Rainbow sat next to him. Now that Lightning was in the light, Rainbow could clearly see his entire body. He had a sleek, white coat and a golden mane. His cutie mark was almost identical to her own, only it wasn't rainbow colored; instead it was white and gold.

Rainbow didn't sit down; instead she just stood there and stared at Lightning. An awkward silence blanketed the room; the only noise was the sounds of Thunder cooking breakfast.

"Jeez Dashie, you just standing there makes things weird. C'mon, sit down, put your hooves up, and relax." Lightning talked in a very confident way, similar to Rainbow Dash's way of talking, but his voice also carried a hint of something else, Dash wasn't sure. Sadness maybe? Or fear. Whatever it was, it was overshadowed by his smooth, confident, almost boastful way of speaking.

Dash sat down on the dingy couch, leaving a space between her and Lightning. She still felt awkward. "So you're Lightning Bolt?" Dash asked.

"Last I checked, yeah. Why do you ask?"

Dash didn't answer that question; it didn't feel right telling him she only came to challenge his abilities at flying. So she stayed silent, focusing on the news, rather than the crippled Pegasus next to her.

"Let me guess, you wanted to challenge me to some sort of contest in order to prove you are in fact, the best flier in Equestria."

Dash still didn't answer. Lightning just laughed at this. "It's ok Dashie, you can say it."

"I-I wanted to challenge you…" Dash blushed hard; it felt silly to tell him this.

"See? That wasn't so hard. Anyways, I don't think I'll be able to accept your challenge. Call me chicken, but I must decline, for obvious reasons." Lightning wiggled the stubs that used to be his wings. Dash couldn't help but giggle at this.

"Hey, Lightning, breakfast is ready." The two brothers were very different; Lightning was confident and athletic, while Thunder seemed shy and more bookish. Thunder reminded Dash of Twighlight, both were total eggheads.

"Sweet T. Dashie, wanna eat breakfast here? T. makes killer breakfast."

"No thanks, I have to go and meet up with my friends."

"C'mon Dashie, this is the best pancakes you'll ever taste."

The pancakes did smell good; everything on the table looked so delicious and Dash hadn't eaten since yesterday. "I guess it'll be ok if I eat a little."

Dash sat down with the two brothers and began eating. She was stunned; never had she eaten such amazing breakfast. Not even Celestia's personal chefs made better breakfast. Soon Dash had scarfed down 3 helpings and had already gotten another.

"So, how are you two related?" Dash said with a mouthful of pancake.

"Well we're brothers. Mom was a unicorn and dad was a Pegasus. T. took after mom and I took after dad." It was obvious the two had a strong bond; Dash had never seen closer bond between siblings except between Lotus and Aloe in Ponyville (at least, she thought they were siblings. Dash has never asked.)

"So Ms. Dash, why did you want to see my brother?" Thunder asked.

"It's Rainbow Dash. And, I don't know, guess I wanted to meet the best flier in Las Pegasus."

"Aw Dashie, how sweet. I think you meant the best flier in Equestria!" His overly cocky manner was slightly annoying to Dash, but she forgave him.

"Yeah well, that has yet to be proven."

"HA HA! I guess we'll never know now" Lightning laughed at his own joke.

"Yeah, guess not." Dash said quietly.

Before Dash knew it, the time had reached 7 in the morning. She completely lost track of time while in Lightning's apartment. She had to hurry and meet up with her friends so they can have fun.

"Oh my gosh! I have to hurry and leave. I need to meet up with my friends." Before either Lightning or Thunder knew it, Rainbow Dash had flown out the door and was already flying over the city towards Giovani Tower. The two stallions looked at each other and Lightning let out a laugh.

"Damn T. Rainbow Dash is hot!"


	5. Chapter 5: Pinkie's Dissertation

Chapter 5: Pinkie's College Dissertation

Twighlight, Applejack, Rarity, Pinkie Pie, and Fluttershy sat in their hotel suite; the group was preparing for a night on the town and waiting for their friend Rainbow Dash to return. The girls still hadn't decided on what they wished to do; they each wanted to do something different and couldn't agree on fun activities.

"I still think we should throw a party in our room. We could invite everyone!" Pinkie exclaimed, full of her usual bubbly cheer.

"Pinkie, that's all ya'll ever think about, partyin'!" Applejack said.

"C'mon Apples, I do other things! Like theoretical physics!" exclaimed Pinkie.

"Hold on a minute, theoretical physics? I thought ya'll said ya did Bio-Chemistry."

"Please Applejack, I only minored in Bio-Chemistry. I got my Ph.D. is theoretical physics. Haven't you read my dissertation 'Observing Parallel Universes through the Use of Quantum Tangible Crystalloid Shards and Super Conductive Filaments at Temperatures of Absolute Zero'? I sent you all a copy."

The group just stood there stunned.

"What?" Pinkie asked.

Before anyone could say anything more, Rainbow Dash flew through the window and landed in the middle of the circle her friends had formed.

"Hello Rainbow Dash, how are you this morning?" Twighlight was the first to greet the rainbow colored pony.

"I'm ok. Thanks."

"Rainbow, is that syrup on ya'lls face?" Applejack got closer and began inspecting Dash's face. "That is syrup! Have you been to breakfast without us?" Applejack feigned anger.

Dash chuckled, "Jeez Apples, what's on my face is my business. If you wanted pancakes so bad, why don't you lick it off of me?" Dash's crude joke made Applejack laugh. Despite the two's frequent fights, they had been best friends since they were younger and were the closest of all the Mane Six.

"So Rainbow Dash, did you finish what you wanted to do?" Twighight asked, interrupting the banter between the ponies.

"Well…not exactly." Dash still felt embarrassed about her thoughtlessness with Lightning and didn't want to embarrass herself in front of her friends.

"What ya'll mean, not exactly? Did you or didn't you?" Applejack stared at her friend with a quizzical look on her face.

"Well I uh…"

"OH OH OH! Let me guess!" Pinkie blurted with her hoof in the air, "You flew around and found the apartment building he was in, went inside, asked the pony behind the counter with grayish red hair in a bun and red glasses with purple polka dots, you commented on how smoking is bad for her, she retorted how you should mind your own business, she told you the floor and room number – 18th floor, 420 – you rushed up there, knocked on the door, a unicorn named Thunder answered, you talked then barged past him, rushed in Lightning's room, then after a short while you realized he had no wings! Finally you ate breakfast made by Thunder, which you thought was delicious, and left and returned here." Pinkie gasped for breath after this long answer.

"Pinkie…How did you know all that?" Dash was very much confused as to how she knew the events exactly.

"Duh, it was in the newspaper silly filly." Pinkie held up a newspaper dated 3 months ago, "'World Famous Pegasus Flier and Daredevil Gets Horribly Injured' right here Dash."

"But how did you know about the other stuff?"

"Lucky guess Dash." Pinkie looks at the reader with a copy of _Broken Wings_ and winks before turning back to her friend.

"Whu-"

Rarity chimed in, "Darlings, must we stay cooped up in this room all day? We should go out and have some fun!"

"Ah agree. Let's go and have some fun." Said Applejack.

The girls were in agreement; at least most of them. Fluttershy was the only one, it seemed, who didn't want to go out and have some fun. She remained cowering on her bed, while the rest busied themselves with getting ready.

Rarity noticed Fluttershy on her bed and decided to say something, "Fluttershy darling, what is the matter?"

"Huh? Oh, um…N-nothing's wrong…"

Rarity could tell something was wrong with Fluttershy, so she persisted, "Darling, if something's wrong, you can tell us. We're your friends."

"Yeah Fluttershy! You can tell us anything." Shouted Pinkie from the bathroom.

The rest of the group chimed in with their agreement. Her friends persisted. Soon it became too much for Fluttershy. She soon broke.

"OK! I-I-"

"Yes?" said Dash.

"I….did a porn shoot here!" Fluttershy blurted out.

The girls were stunned, surely Fluttershy was joking.

"Fluttershy, are you joking?" Said Twighlight.

"NO! It's my secret shame! I-I…was…a…extra! I needed the money! That's how I could afford to start my pet adoption services."

They just looked at her with weird looks.

"What?" Fluttershy wiped her tears and looked back at her friends

"I'm pretty sure it'll be fine Fluttershy. Not like you had sex." Dash tried to calm Fluttershy down before things got out of hand.

"Yes darling, Rainbow Dash is right, there's nothing wrong with what you did. Why, I think we all have done certain things to earn some extra money, especially when you're as beautiful as me and you are." Said Rarity, in a very odd fashion

"Ok, before things get to weird, let's go ahead and go out and have some fun." Said Twighlight.

The group agreed to drop the issue. This time even Fluttershy got ready, after all, she didn't want to be alone in the suite.

After a long time of preparation, the group finally left their hotel room and went out, leaving Spike behind. Nopony was in the hallway, it was eerily quiet, and the girls felt awkward. They quickly tip toed to the elevator and mashed the button to go down. After the elevator arrived, they got in and went down to the lobby. The lobby was significantly busier, full of half-drunk ponies, ponies with hookers, and ponies wandering in from an intense night.

The girls left the hotel and began their first day in Las Pegasus. None of them had spent very long here, but they were all excited to see what this city had to offer.

**(Author's Note: This is probably my least favorite chapter, because I had trouble figuring out what to write about in the girls' downtime. I do think this chapter had some good jokes though, just a bit short. Oh well.)**


	6. Chapter 6: Alone

Chapter 6: Alone

"Oh my gosh! I have to hurry and leave. I need to meet up with my friends." Before either Lightning or Thunder knew it, Rainbow Dash had flown out the door and was already flying over the city towards Giovani Tower. The two stallions looked at each other and Lightning let out a laugh.

"Damn T. Rainbow Dash is hot!"

Thunder just looked at his older brother.

"What?"

Thunder said nothing; he just turned and went to the bathroom

Lightning returned to the couch and resumed watching TV.

Shortly thereafter, Thunder returned and approached his brother. "Hey lightning, I'm heading to work now. I'll pick up some more cereal on my way home."

"Ok T. Have fun."

Thunder left and Lightning returned to his shows. He was watching_ Mares of Our Lives _and sipping on some cola, something he did often. This was the usual routine for Lightning. Thunder would leave for work and Lightning would stay at the apartment and watch TV. Thunder was the one bring in the money, he worked at a clothing boutique, similar to that of Rarity's in Ponyville; he also did occasional magic shows at various performance venues.

It wasn't like Lightning wanted to lounge around the apartment all day; he tried to find a job, but it was hard to find a job in Las Pegasus, especially for a crippled pegasus.

Lightning was bored. He hated just sitting around doing nothing. Of course it was more than just boredom. Despite his Cocky attitude and flirtatious way of talking to girls, he was hurting. Lightning suffered from deep depression, self-loathing, and complete nihilism.

Lightning had felt it was his fault they lived like this. If he had just told Thunder, he would still have his wings and they'd still be performing. Funny thing was, Thunder felt like it was his fault, and Lightning knew it. No matter what he said, Thunder continued to believe it was his fault. Lightning knew Thunder was hurting as much as he was, and this made Lightning hurt more. He told Thunder he'd always be there for him, always help him.

_Lightning and Thunder were running through the forest; the two colts were spending their day together before Lightning had to go back to Cloudsdale with his father. The brothers hadn't seen each other in a long time and were enjoying their short time together. _

_ "C'mon Thunder! Try and keep up!"_

_ Both ponies galloped through the forest until they reached a deep chasm. Lightning quickly jumped over the chasm and skillfully landed on the other side. Thunder however quickly stopped at the edge._

_ "C'mon T.! Jump!"_

_ "I-I don't think i can Lightning...I-it's too far!"_

_ "Don't be a baby T. Jump!"_

_ Slowly Thunder scooted backwards. He kept going until he reached what he felt was far enough. Then he began towards the chasm. Soon he was running towards the chasm at top speeds. He kept running until he reached the edge and then he jumped. Thunder Bolt flew across the chasm and almost reached the edge. Then, he began to fall._

_ "Thunder!" Lightning watched as his brother fell to his doom. There was no time to think; he had to do something before it was to late._

_ Lightning jumped into the chasm after his brother. He fell as fast as he could after Thunder. They were almost at the ground. Lightning grabbed Thunder and began flapping his wings. They almost hit the ground, but Lightning managed to pull out of the dive and rocket upwards._

_ "WAHOOO!" Lightning shouted in excitement. This was the first time he had ever flown._

_ "AAAAAHHH!" Thunder didn't share his brother's enthusiasm. He preferred to keep his hooves on the ground over flying._

_ "Hey T., you ok?"_

_ "Y-y-y-y-yeah...I-I-I think."_

_ Lightning laughed at his brother's anxiety. _

_ "Lightning...let's never do this again." choked out Thunder._

_ Lightning laughed brother's began heading towards Lightning's home and in no time at all reached his house._

_ "Here we are T., home sweet home."_

_ Lightning sat Thunder down and landed beside him. The colts' mother ran out the door towards the boys_

_ "HI MOMMA!" the boys shouted together._

_ "Oh hello dears." their mother quickly grabbed the boys and hugged them. "Lightning, were you flying?"_

_ "Yeah mom! Isn't it cool?" Lightning said enthusiastically._

_ "When did you learn to do that?"_

_ "Just now, it was awesome mom. You should've seen it!"_

_ "Yeah mom! It was cool! At first I was really scared, but then it turned fun! Boy, I sure thought I was a goner." Lightning quickly punched Thunder to get him to shut up._

_ "What do you mean Thunder?" Their mother asked with concern on her face._

_ "N-nothing mom! Nothing at all! Thunder was just being a dope." _

_ "Quiet Lightning." Their mother then turned back to Thunder, "What do you mean, goner?"_

_ "Um...um...It's just I...I kind of fell down a chasm...b-but it wasn't Lightnings fault!"_

_ "WHAT?!" their mother made them explain right there, then made Lightning go sit in the corner for half an hour for almost killing his brother._

_ That night their mother made their favorite, Hay Caesar Salad. Then for desert she made them the Super Deluxe Ultra Mega Extreme Double Decker Banana Split with the works. The boys ate heartily, then their mother read them both a bed time story and tucked them in. This was Lightning's last night there before he had to return to Cloudsdale with his father, Shadow Bolt._

_ Lightning couldn't sleep. he didn't want to go home with his dad. He wanted to stay with his mom and his little brother Thunder. He slipped out of bed and crawled through the bedroom window onto the roof. He sat there staring at the moon for who knows how long, until Thunder slipped out onto the roof also._

_ "T. man, you should go back in, it's cold out here, and you'll get sick."_

_ "Lightning, I'm a big boy now, I can be out here with you."_

_ "You sure T.? Being a big boy ain't all it's cracked up to be." Lightning joked with his little brother._

_ "Yeah I'm sure."_

_ The two sat there in silence, both staring at the moon. Silence fell over the brothers. The only noise was the crickets chirping in the distance. It was so peaceful here, so far away from the bustle and loudness of Cloudsdale. Lightning loved it here, far away from his dad and that bitch of a stepmother. He wished it didn't have to end tomorrow, but like all good things, it had to._

_ "Hey Lightning?"_

_ "Yeah T.?"_

_ "Where does the moon come from?"_

_ "Hell I don't know. Aren't you supposed to know that? You are the smart one after all."_

_ "I'm not that smart Lightning, I have the lowest grades in school."_

_ "Aw c'mon T. Don't doubt yourself bro! Aim for gold man, have faith in yourself. If you try your hardest, and believe in yourself, you can do anything!" Lightning took off when he said this and performed a figure eight. This made Thunder laugh and clap in amusement._

_ "Yeah, I guess you're right Lightning. So, where does the moon come from?"_

_ Lightning let out a sigh. "You see T., there are two princesses who rule over Equestria; one, Celestia, goddess of the day and sun, makes the sun rise during the day to bring light and beauty to all Equestria, the other, Luna, goddess of the night and moon, raises the moon at night, bringing more beauty and allowing the ponies to sleep."_

_ "Wooow..." Thunder said in amazement. "So one pony makes it night, and the other day. What'd you say the second princess' name was?"_

_ "Luna?"_

_ "Yeah Luna...That's a pretty name." Thunder continued to stare at the moon. "One day, I'll become Luna's personal student and learn some of here amazing magic!"_

_ "That's the spirit T. Aim for the stars and one day, you'll get it!"_

_ Silence returned to the brothers. They continued to sit there for what felt like hours. Lightning grabbed his little brother and pulled him close, he could feel Thunder begin to shake._

_ "Hey T., I think we should head inside now. It's getting a bit cold._

_ "Yeah...Hey Lightning?"_

_ "Yeah T.?"_

_ "Thanks for saving me."_

_ "Don't mention it T. That's what I'm here for."_

_ "Lightning, you're the best brother ever!" Thunder hugged his older brother._

_ "No doubt T.! Hey listen, I'll always be here for you, okay? I'll always be here to help you, protect you, alright T.?"_

_ Thunder just nodded up at his brother. The two shared a brohoof and climbed back inside the window. Then they both fell asleep._

Lightning looked up from the can of soda he was drinking. Remembering that memory made him feel worse. He had promised Thunder he'd always be there for him; now look at him, a bum living off his younger brother's paycheck. It made him sick.

"That's it!" Lightning exclaimed, jumping up from his couch, "I'm not going to just sit here and waste away my life! I'm going to go out there and be somebody! Make something of myself! I'm no slave to the system! I'm Lightning Bolt baby, the fastest, most talented pegasus in history! I AM MASTER OF MY OWN DESTINY!"

Lightning could hear the old lady who lived in the apartment underneath his own yelling, "HEY! QUIET DOWN UP THERE OR I'M CALLING THE POLICE!"

"SORRY MRS. FLORA!" Lightning quickly got dressed and ran out the door of his apartment. This was his time; he would make things better for him and his brother. No more being alone.


	7. Chapter 7: Pegasus Meetup

Chapter 7: Pegasus Meetup

Rainbow Dash and her friends had been running around Las Pegasus all day. It was getting late and they were starting to get tired. They had been to casinos, bars, boutiques, shows, and several more "adult" venues. After such a long day on the town, the girls were getting tired and decided to head back to the hotel, all but Rainbow Dash. Rainbow Dash decided she wanted to explore the city some more. After all, we all know that the best of Las Pegasus is off the strip.

Rainbow Dash started wandering around looking for interesting things to do. This was her first time in Las Pegasus and she wanted to make it memorable. So she continued to wander around the city looking for enjoyable things to do.

Dash wandered around Las Pegasus, observing various street performers and obtaining different foods. Dash was enjoying herself; it was nice to do something other fly around and pull pranks. Dash also enjoyed spending time with her friends without some accident or world shattering event interrupting.

Rainbow Dash was watching a particularly skilled street juggler and hadn't noticed a certain pony approach her from behind. The pony snuck up behind her and quickly put his hooves over her eyes.

"Guess who!" said the mysterious pony.

Rainbow Dash recognized the confident way of talking almost immediately, despite only hearing it briefly. "Gee, I wonder who it could be; surely not Lightning Bolt."

The pony laughed and removed his hooves from her eyes. "Surely not, miss Dash." Lightning stepped in front of Dash. "Nice to see you again Dashie." Lightning spoke with his usual confident, smooth way of talking.

"Nice to see you too Lightning. So, what brings you out here?"

"I could ask you the same Dashie. I thought you were with your friends."

"Well I was, but they got tired. I decided to stay out a bit."

"Well that's always fun. I fly solo at night all the time, but what's better is company."

"Yeah. Anyways, you still haven't answered me, what are you doing?"

"Well I got bored of sitting around my apartment and happened across you watching a juggler. So I figured I'd say hi."

"Well hi."

"So Dashie, find this juggler compelling?"

"I guess it's ok."

"Well, want a veteran of this place to show you around?"

"Are you asking me on a date Lightning?"

"Can you have a date at 3 in the morning?"

Rainbow Dash laughed "Seems a bit late for dating."

"Well then no, I am not."

Rainbow laughed "Sorry, but it's late. Maybe tomorrow."

"Dang, I was hoping I could seduce you and skip town by tomorrow."

Rainbow laughed and whacked Lightning on the shoulder. Afterwards she agreed to meet Lightning the next day and let him show her around Las Pegasus. So the two went off on their separate ways; Lightning back to his apartment and Rainbow off to her hotel room.

Upon arriving at her room, Dash flopped down on her bed. She began to realize that she really liked Lightning and was excited to see him tomorrow. Dash continued to think of Lightning, his way of talking, his confidence, his lack of wings. The last thought made her feel strange. It felt wrong, in a sense, for a Pegasus to be wingless; it felt like some kind of sick joke was being played on Lightning. Dash continued to think about Lightning until her thoughts finally led her to a deep sleep.

Lightning strolled home leisurely; he had been out for several hours and was ready for some R&R. He walked slowly, thinking about his life. Lightning thought of how his brother came to live with him, how he and his brother became famous, and how he lost his wings. His thoughts went through everything of his life; despite him being only 23 he had been through much. While his thoughts constantly changed, one thing remained constant, the thought of Rainbow Dash. Lightning couldn't help but think about that cyan Pegasus. He thought of how strong willed and head strong she was, how athletic she was, and how cute she was. He couldn't help himself; Dash was the cutest pony Lightning had ever seen. Lightning had been with several mares in his life (in fact, he had been quite the playcolt before his accident), but Dash was different. He liked her for more than superficial things like looks; he thought she had a great personality and fun to be around.

"To be fair," Lightning reasoned with himself, "You've only known her for a day and hadn't had enough time to really get to know her. For all you know, she could be a total bitch." Lightning laughed. It was true; he didn't know her that well. However, he had a good feeling about her, and his feelings were (almost) always right.

Lost deep in his thoughts, Lightning hadn't noticed he had arrived at his apartment building, or even approaching his door to his apartment. In fact, when he finally noticed his surroundings, it spooked him a bit.

"How the fuck did I get here?" He stood there looking around. Finally, he just shook his head and opened the door to his home, going inside.

Once inside, he quickly headed for his room, but stopped dead in his tracks. Thunder lay on the couch, fast asleep; obviously exhausted from another hard day of work. He had fallen asleep while watching _Guards: Equestria's Finest_. Lightning grabbed a blanket from the closet and draped it over his little brother, and turned off the TV. He stood there staring at his brother; he remembered how his brother would try so hard to stay awake with him when they were younger, only to fall asleep almost immediately. Thunder hadn't changed since childhood. He was still shy and awkward around other ponies; he even looked the same, only slightly bigger. Lightning laughed; his brother was peculiar. He would be far too shy to even speak sometimes (especially around girls), but when he began to show off his magic, he became a different pony. When he wielded magic he became confident and brave. Lightning had to admit; he had always been a bit jealous of Thunder, he was jealous of how Thunder pushed himself so hard to achieve his goals, but knew when to stop and to rest, he knew his limits. He was jealous of how strong Thunder was in front of adversity; how he didn't let terrible events or ponies break his spirit. Of course, Lightning could never let Thunder know this.

Lightning snapped out his thoughts soon afterwards. It was then he realized how tired he himself actually was. So without hesitation, he went to his room and jumped into bed. Before he knew it, Lightning was fast asleep.

Rainbow Dash awoke at 12:46 PM and rolled out of bed. She went to the bathroom and stared into the mirror. Dash felt terrible, smelt terrible, and looked terrible. Her mane was even more of a mess than usual, full of knots, and was a dull color this morning, She felt like she was going to vomit at any moment, and she smelt like booze and fish. She needed a shower and bad.

Dash quickly hopped into the shower and let the warm water run over her body; the warmth quickly soothed her aching muscles and her nausea. She spent a good hour in the shower; she washed every nook and cranny. Upon exiting the shower Rainbow Dash felt much better (and certainly looked better). Her coat and mane were back to their usual brightness. Instead of brushing her mane, Dash simply shook her head and ran her hoof through her hair. Dash felt much better, although she still felt a little sick; too much booze it seemed.

Dash ordered room service to bring her breakfast, and while she waited, she watched TV. Soon Dash's breakfast had arrived and she began to dig in. It was a large, hearty breakfast; complete with eggs, pancakes, hay, and a glass of orange juice. Dash devoured it all in record time.

Shortly after engorging herself on breakfast, Dash realized she was alone in the suite. Her friends must've decided to leave her behind and head off on some kind of adventure. Fine by her Dash thought. She wasn't feeling up to any sort of activities like yesterday. So Dash simply sat and watched TV. However, soon she got bored and decided to head to the lobby; maybe something fun was happening there.

On the other side of the spectrum, was Lightning. Lightning woke up at 9:31 AM and felt amazing. He had had the best night's sleep he had in years. He wasn't entirely sure why, but last night he slept like a baby; no nightmares to speak of.

In any case, Lightning got up and began listening to his favorite band, Cage the Manticore, while he got ready. He looked into the mirror and said his usual pep talk, showered, and went to the kitchen. To his surprise, Thunder was still asleep on the couch. Usually Thunder would've been up and about by now. Lightning wondered what was wrong with his brother.

Lightning walked over and shook his brother, "Hey, T., wake up man."

Thunder stirred and starred at his brother. "What the fuck do you want?" despite his apparent shyness, Thunder could be an asshole when he was tired.

"I was just wondering if you were ok bro. Normally you're up long before me."

"Today I'm off. So I want to get some sleep in."

"Can't argue with that. Sorry for waking you."

"Don't sweat it bro." and with that, Thunder passed out again.

Lightning was left with a bit of a problem, however. He didn't know how to cook and Thunder wasn't able to make breakfast. He thought long and hard before deciding that breakfast wasn't important, and if he had to eat, he could eat breakfast with Rainbow Dash. It was decided then; he would go to Dash's hotel and offer to take her to breakfast.

"Man Lightning, you certainly are one handsome genius." And with that, Lightning was off towards Giovani Tower, hoping to catch Dash before she left her hotel.

Rainbow Dash strolled out of the elevator and into the lobby. She looked around and saw the usual cast of ponies about; there was the usual hotel employees running around, ponies leaving the hotel ready for a night on the town, ponies returning from a night on the town, and a certain pegasus Dash knew.

"What are you doing here?" Rainbow Dash asked as she approached Lightning, who was sitting upside down one of the lobby chairs.

"Why, I'm waiting for you Dashie." Lightning grinned up at Rainbow Dash with his signature grin.

"Why are you waiting for me?"

"Because you said we would hang out today."

"No I said maybe. There's a difference."

"Aw come on! I was gonna show you the best breakfast restaurant in Las Pegasus."

"Sorry, but I already ate breakfast."

"That's fine; we could just hang out then." Lightning began relying heavily on his smooth way of talking and his good looks. Although it probably wasn't working because he was upside down and looked like an idiot. "Come on Dashie, it'll be fun." He gave her a quick wink.

"Sorry I have plans." Dash lied; of course she didn't have plans, but she liked messing around.

Lightning hopped up and stood straight and tall. He looked away and got his best, most charismatic face on and then looked back. "Come on Dashie, I'm sure these plans can wait until another day."

"Sorry, but I was met this guy at a bar and he wanted to meet up again." Again Dash lied. She wasn't entirely sure why she was lying, but the look on Lightning's face when she said that was priceless.

"Wait, WHAT?!" Had the infamous Lightning Bolt just been denied a date with a mare, and, what's worse, been beaten by another pony? Lightning was crushed. No mare ever denied him a date. He ALWAYS got the girl.

"Yep. He's this cute stallion who works on a farm. He's big and red with a blonde mane. He works on an apple farm."

"Wh-wh-wh-what the fu…" Rainbow Dash ran off before Lightning could finish his sentence. Lightning just stood there, shocked and, honestly, a little heart broken.


	8. Chapter 8: Casino Royale

Chapter 8: Casino Royale

Once outside, Rainbow Dash spread her wings and flew up into the air. She had honestly wanted to hang out with Lightning, but enjoyed stringing him along. She flew high and waited for Lightning.

Shortly after Lightning ran out of the hotel and looked around. Dash could tell he spotted her and she took off flying. Sure enough, he took the bait and began following.

"Bingo! Time for a little fun Mr. Bolt." Said Rainbow Dash with a smirk on her face.

Rainbow Dash led Lightning through the streets of Las Pegasus; occasionally looking back to make sure he was still following. Sure enough, he was; although, he was trying to keep out of her sight. To be fair, he wasn't too bad at sneaking around.

Rainbow Dash flew all over the city, making sure to stay just in Lightning's sight. She flew through alleys, over buildings, and over the street. She looked back and saw Lightning struggling to keep up. Dash was having fun stringing him along. She had a plan if he kept up.

Every so often Rainbow would land and get something to eat or to watch some street performers or something of the sorts. When she landed, Rainbow would stay grounded and stroll around for a few minutes before shooting back into the sky. Finally, after an hour or so, Rainbow flew towards a bar and landed in front. Then she walked around into the alley next to the bar and hid behind a trash can and waited for Lightning.

Sure enough, Lightning ran into the alley. He walked right past Dash's hiding spot and looked utterly confused.

"Where did Rain…"

Lightning walked outside of the hotel and started looking around. He was looking for Rainbow Dash. He intended to trail her and find out if she was telling the truth about this other stallion. Some may call this stalking, but Lightning preferred to call it espionage.

He spotted her in the sky before she rocketed off. Lightning quickly began tailing her, keeping to the shadows as he did. He learned all he knew about stealth from spy movies and such.

"Ok Lightning, let's find out what Dashie is hiding." Lightning stuck to the shadows as he followed her around the city.

Lightning followed Dash through alleys, around buildings, and across streets. Occasionally she'd fly over a building and Lightning had to quickly run around to find her again before she escaped. Lightning struggled to keep up with her, especially since he was grounded. Every so often, Dash would land and walk around. Lightning made sure to use this to keep up if he was falling behind.

Finally, after an hour or so, Lightning spotted Rainbow Dash land in front of a bar across the street then walk into the alley next to it.

"Well that's odd. I wonder what she's up to…" Lightning quickly ran across the street and ran into the alley. He looked around but Rainbow Dash had disappeared. "Where did Rain…Oof!"

Rainbow Dash shot out from behind the trash can and tackled Lightning harder than professional linebacker.

"Why were you following me?!" Rainbow Dash shouted at Lightning. She was pretending to be furious as best she could, but wasn't sure if she would be able to hold in her laughter.

"Wh-what?! I wasn't following you! I was just…going to this….gay bar…" it just hit Lightning that this was Rainbow Factory, the most popular gay bar. It was run by Gay Tony, a unicorn friend of Lightning's.

"Oh, so you're gay?"

"What?! No, no! I was just going for um…the music…it's fun…" Lightning had turned completely red. He was so embarrassed he could just die right there.

"It's ok if you're gay. I won't judge you."

"I'M NOT GAY! I was following you, ok?!" Lightning's eyes widened and he quickly shut his mouth. Great, now Dashie was going to hate him and probably get a restraining order on him.

Rainbow Dash burst into laughter and got off Lightning. This left Lightning even more confused than before.

"BAHAHAHA! I can't believe you fell for that."

"Fell for what?" Lightning just sat there confused.

"I'm not mad at you. I knew you were following me since I left the hotel."

"You did?"

"Yeah. Also, there's no other stallion."

"For real? You mean all this was a joke?"

"Yep."

"Wow, I feel dumb."

"So, where are we going on our date?"

"Do what? Oh…um…I'm not sure." Lightning's stomach let out a loud growl just then and he proceeded to cover his stomach.

"HAHA! How about we go to that breakfast place you wanted?"

"Yeah…sounds good."

Rainbow Dash hopped off of Lightning and extended her hoof to help him up. Lightning took it and hopped back on his hooves. He then brushed the rocks off his back.

"So follow me I guess."

Lightning led Rainbow Dash out of the alley and towards another a more residential area. After half an hour of walking, the two reached a small restaurant with a rickety sign over it.

"Here we are, Fat Earl's Pancake Paradise."

"Wow…looks nice." Rainbow Dash said jokingly.

"It's better than it looks, trust me Dashie." Without another word, Lightning went inside the restaurant. Rainbow Dash quickly followed, so as to not be left out.

Lightning pulled out a chair for Rainbow Dash then seated himself. The two waited for a waitress of some sorts, and, after several minutes waiting, a large stallion with a crumpled chef's hat and a dirty apron came charging out.

"Lightning! Good to see you again!" the large stallion slapped Lightning on the back, causing him to topple to the ground.

"H-hey Earl." Said Lightning as he stood back up and seated himself again.

"How are you Lightning? Doing good I hope. Haven't seen you in a while."

"Yeah, I'm fine."

"Good; and who's this?" Fat Earl turned his attention towards Rainbow Dash, "She's certainly the looker."

"This is Rainbow Dash. Dashie, this is Fat Earl."

"Nice to meet you Earl." Said Rainbow Dash.

"The pleasure's mine Ms. Dash." Fat Earl took Rainbow's hoof and planted a kiss on it. Dash quickly withdrew when he released her hoof. She was a bit weirded out by this Fat Earl.

"So Earl, How about some pancakes?"

"Of course Lightning! I'll give ya the Super Deluxe Special, on the house." Before Lightning could say something, Fat Earl ran off to the kitchen.

"Um…Lightning, I'm not sure how much I like Fat Earl."

"Yeah, he's kind of a creep. I only show up every so often because his pancakes are rad."

"Well I guess that makes it better…sort of."

The two sat there; silence fell over the table and they sat awkwardly staring at each other. Lightning would occasionally shoot Rainbow a flirtatious look, smirking and winking to attract her attention. Rainbow would just roll her eyes and stick her tongue out at Lightning. Finally, Earl returned with a massive platter of blueberry and chocolate chip pancakes. Along with the pancakes he brought a tub of butter and a jar of syrup. He set the lot down on the table and returned to the kitchen.

Rainbow Dash fawned over the delicious and massive pancakes. The hotel had nothing on this place. The smell was intoxicating and made her drool. He continued to stare and drool until Lightning snatched up the first pancake and took a bit out of half of it.

"Wow, remember to chew Lightning."

Lightning mumbled something along the lines of "I've eaten more." And proceeded to swallow the large portion of pancakes he had eaten. "You should hurry up and get to eating. The pancakes will get cold."

"Haha! You're right." Rainbow Dash began eating the pancakes along with Lightning. Soon it became a contest to see who could eat the most the fastest. It went on for a bit before all the pancakes were eaten. When it was over, Rainbow Dash claimed victory.

"HA! I won!"

"Damn. Can't believe I lost. I never lose." It wasn't often he lost, and normally it'd leave him more upset, but today he was actually ok with losing, at least losing to Rainbow Dash.

Rainbow stuck her tongue out at Lightning, "C'mon, I'm full now and I wanna work off this food."

"Oh I think I know how to work it off." Lightning said flirtatiously.

"Haha. Very funny Mr. Tough Guy. I meant walk around some and see the city."

"I knew that."

The two left the restaurant and began their date. Lightning began showing her certain spots that were more exclusive and less known. Finally the two walked down an alley.

"Where are we going now Lightning?"

"A place not many people know about."

"Well duh…"

Lightning stopped near a stairwell leading down to a small door. Without a word he went down the stair and motioned for Rainbow Dash to follow. He then pushed the door open and disappeared inside. Rainbow Dash had a bad feeling about this whole thing, but decided to go down anyways. Rainbow Dash went down the stairs and pushed the door open and went inside. When Rainbow Dash went inside somepony put their hooves over her eyes.

"Guess who."

Rainbow Dash wasn't sure who it was. It didn't sound like Lightning; it was a mare's voice.

"Um…I don't know."

"Aw that's no fun. C'mon, guess."

"Pinkie?"

"Nope."

"Twilight?"

"Nope."

"Rairty?"

"C'mon Dash, we've met before. You know me. I'm kind of famous."

Rainbow didn't know who this pony was, so she just started naming off famous ponies.

"Spitfire?"

"Nope."

"Soarin?"

"Come one Dash." The pony removed her hooves and Rainbow turned around to see Vinyl Scratch. "Can't believe you didn't recognize me."

"Gee, sorry." It's true, Rainbow Dash did know this pony, but she never really had a conversation with her. You can't blame Rainbow for that.

"Nah it's cool. So anyways, hear this is your first time in Las Pegasus."

"Yeah. Where did you hear this?"

"Lightning told me. Duh."

"You know Lightning?"

"Of course. The first time I've been to Las Pegasus I ran into him. We hanged out when I wasn't doing shows. He's a real cool guy."

Just then Lightning walked up the hallway towards the two mares. The hallway was poorly lit with black lights, so it was hard to make him out, but Dash could recognize him.

"Hey there Dashie. Sorry I was in the bathroom."

"It's okay."

"Vinyl, what are you doing? Don't you have a show to do?"

"Yeah, but I figured I'd say hello to Rainbow here."

"Oh, so you two know each other?"

"A little, but no more than just acquaintances." Rainbow Dash stood awkwardly while the two talked to each other. "So anyways, I gotta get going. I need to get back to the DJ booth before something happens." Vinyl Scratch left Lightning and Rainbow Dash alone in the hallway

"Come one Dashie, let's go out on the dance floor."

"I don't know. I'm not usually one for the whole club thing."

"Nah, come on. It'll be fun." Lightning took Rainbow Dash's hoof and led her out to the dance floor.

Rainbow took a moment to observe the dance floor. There was a surprisingly small number of ponies dancing, or even in the club for that matter. It must've been one of those secret, hole-in-the-wall kind of places. It was dark, the only real light being the strobe lights and ponies with glowsticks. In the DJ booth was Vinyl with another pony; Rainbow couldn't tell who it was or even if it was a mare or stallion. It was loud; large speakers lined the walls blaring loud dance music. Dubstep? Techno? Dash could never tell which was which; all she knew was that it was a form of electronic. Personally, Dash never liked dance music; she preferred Rock n' Roll.

"Come on Dashie, let's dance." Lightning led Rainbow Dash onto the dance floor and began dancing. Dash couldn't help but laugh as Lightning flailed around as if he was having a seizure; he wasn't the best dancer in the world, but he looked like he was having fun.

"So do you come here often?" Shouted Dash as she began dancing.

"Not recently, I used to come here a lot before…" Lightning cut himself off before finishing his sentence. Dash noticed the sad look on his face as he said that, but he quickly rectified it and went back to smiling.

"You okay Lightning?"

"Yeah, I'm fine. Why do you ask Dashie?"

"It's just…" Before Rainbow could finish her sentence, Vinyl began saying something and drowned out Rainbow's words.

"Hey what's up everypony? How's everypony doing tonight?"

"WHOOOO!" the crowd shouted in unison

"AAAW YEEAH! Glad to hear it. Hope ya'll ready cause we gonna go all night!"

Vinyl finished talking and turned the music back way up and everyone continued dancing.

"What were you saying Dashie?"

"Nevermind."

The two kept dancing. Dash decided not to bring up his accident. It probably would not end well if she did.

After a while of dancing, Lightning tugged on Rainbow Dash to get her attention.

"What?"

"Follow me." Lightning motioned for her to follow. Rainbow followed as Lightning led them out of the club and back into the alley. When they entered the alley, Dash noticed how dark it had gotten.

"What time is it?"

"1 AM."

"Really?" Dash was having so much fun she hadn't realized how late it had gotten.

"Yep. I lost track of time because of how much fun I was having. My bad."

"Nah it's ok. I was having fun too."

"Come on, let me walk you home Dashie."

"Ok, but are we really gonna walk all the way to Ponyville?"

"You know what I meant Dashie." Lightning rolled his eyes at Rainbow's joke.

The two ponies strolled through the streets of Las Pegasus towards Giovani Tower. Despite at how late it was, the streets were still crowded. The two weaved through the crowded streets until finally reaching the hotel Dash was staying at.

"So, you gonna walk me up to my room?" Dash said in a slightly flirtatious way.

"My mom always said if you're going to take a girl to a hotel room it better be on the honeymoon." Joked Lightning.

"Haha funny guy."

"Come on Dashie, I'll take you up there."

Lightning and Rainbow stepped into the elevator together and Lightning pressed Dash's floor. The two rode the elevator all the way to Dash's floor then stepped out. The hallway was desolate, not a pony in sight.

"Which room you in?"

"Room 204."

Dash led this time, leading to room 204 before stopping just outside.

"Well here we are Ms. Dashie. I have successfully escorted you to your hotel room without incident. Mission accomplished."

Dash laughed, "Thanks Lightning…" Her words drifted off. She began staring at Lightning. That same feeling from when she first met him washed over her again. She froze, unable to move, or even think straight. Never had she felt this way about anypony, not her close friends, not the Wonderbolts, no pony, but now, she felt butterflies in her stomach, she choked on her own words, her eyes widened; she felt weird. She was in love.

Lightning stared back. He was having similar thoughts. Rainbow Dash looked immensely beautiful. Her messy mane, her way of acting, her attitude towards flying; everything about her turned Lightning on. He had been with plenty of mares, all of which tried so hard to doll themselves up and look good, all of which were shallow and only cared about him because he was famous, but Rainbow Dash was different. All these other mares disappeared after his accident, but Rainbow Dash was still here. Her way of not caring about her looks, driven spirit, and seemingly being not attracted to him (at least not being attracted to his celebrity); all of this made him immensely attracted to her, more than just attracted. Dare he say it? Lightning, loved her. The thought shocked Lightning; before he didn't care about the girls not caring about him, he was living it up, he had no time to fall in love, but now, here he stood, in front of a beautiful mare, whom he loved.

The two ponies kept staring. Silence fell over the hallway. Slowly Lightning closed his eyes and began leaning in. Rainbow Dash began freaking out. Was he going to kiss her? What should she do? Should she kiss back? Before she could make up her mind, it seemed her body decided for her and she leaned in to kiss him back. Slowly the two came ever so closer; closer and closer. They were so close Dash could feel Lightning's breath; her heart began beating rapidly. This was it; they were going to kiss…

The door to the hotel room swung open and Pinkie stood behind it.

"Hey guys! Whatcha doing?" shouted Pinkie.

Lightning jerked away from Rainbow Dahs before they could kiss, causing Rainbow Dash to topple over.

"ACK!" Shouted Dash as she fell forward onto the floor.

"You ok Rainbow Dash?" asked Pinkie.

"Yeah…I'm fine." Lightning helped Rainbow Dash back to her feet. The two ponies began blushing.

"Sorry Dashie. Um…I best get going. Thunder is probably freaking out wondering where I am. See ya later Dashie. I had fun."

"Yeah, me too." And with that, Lightning ran off back to the elevator and disappeared behind the closing doors.

"Did I interrupt something Rainbow Dash?"

Rainbow Dash sighed, "No Pinkie, you didn't. It's okay." Rainbow Dash didn't say another word; she just went and flopped down on her bed. The events of today raced through her head, especially the almost kiss. She couldn't believe it, they almost kissed. Today was amazing and Dash wanted to see Lightning again as soon as possible now. With the thought of the almost kiss in her head, Dash slowly closed her eyes and fell asleep.

Lightning entered the elevator and hit the first floor. As the doors closed he took one last glance at Rainbow Dash. He couldn't help but think of how incredible she looked. As the elevator slowly took him back to the lobby, Lightning leaned against the wall and closed his eyes. He thought of how amazing Dash was, how they almost kissed.

"Damn, so close, yet so far. Dear Celestia Dashie's amazing." Lightning let out a sigh, "I hope I get to see her again." Finally the elevator reached his floor and the doors opened. Lightning stepped off and left the hotel. The thoughts of the day's events still fresh in his mind.

When Lightning reached his apartment, it was around 3 in the morning. He hurried to get back to his home before it got any later.

"Damn it's late."

Lightning ran up the stairs of the building and reached his floor; it was just as dirty and nasty as he left it. He walked to his door and opened it up, walking inside. When he entered, he saw Thunder just standing there. He was holding a letter in his hands and he was shaking.

"Yo T. what's up bro? You look like you've seen a ghost."

"I-I-I received a letter today…It's from Canterlot."

"What?!" Lightning jumped over the couch and hurried to his brother. "What does it say?"

"I-I don't know, I haven't read it yet."

"Well go on! Read man!"

Slowly Thunder opened to letter and began reading.

After a short while Thunder Bolt looked up.

"T.?"

"Hehe….dude…I did it…I'm going to be Princess Luna's student!"

"Congrats man!" Lightning patted his brother on the back, "so when ya leaving T.?"

"Immediately! B-b-b-but there's so much I need to get! What do I pack for? I-I-I need to be prepared." Thunder began frantically running around.

"T.! Calm down bro, just get packed, and then leave, ok? You got this man!"

"Y-yeah…Hey Lightning,"

"Yeah T.?"

"This is it, I've done it."

Thunder ran off to his room to prepare and Lightning went to his room to sleep. He told Thunder to wake him when he was leaving so he could see him off. At this point, Lightning was so tired he could barely keep his eyes open; so he gently crawled into bed and underneath his covers. Before he knew it, he was asleep.


	9. Chapter 9: Last Day Together

Chapter 9: Last Day Together

The next morning Lightning saw his brother off. Afterwards he went to meet up with Rainbow Dash; when they met, neither brought up the events of the previous night. Instead they went on with their lives, acting as if nothing had happened.

Lightning and Rainbow spent the next few days together; they were almost inseparable at this point. At last, the final day of The Mane Six's vacation arrived; the next morning, the girls would have to board the train and head back to Ponyville. So Lightning wanted to make Rainbow's last day in Las Pegasus one she'd remember forever.

"So what's the plan for today Lightning?"

"I figured we could do something we haven't done yet."

"And what would that be?"

"Well, first we're going to a fancy restaurant, and then I figured we could go to a show. After we'll see where the night takes us."

"Well that sounds fun."

The ponies went to a restaurant that Lightning had experience with. He had taken a few mares to this particular place before; it was reasonably priced, delicious, and fairly fancy. What was better, Lightning knew the owner; a Pegasus he met when he lived in Cloudsdale.

"So, how do you know this place?" asked Rainbow Dash as she sat down in the chair Lightning pulled out for her.

"I know the owner. We knew each other when I lived in Cloudsdale. He came here a few years back and I lent him a place to sleep until he got his restaurant up and running."

"Oh cool. So I guess now he gives you free food?"

"Nope!" Lightning laughed, "but he does give me a significant discount."

"Well that's good."

The two ordered their food and then they began waiting. While waiting, a thought occurred to Rainbow Dash, she actually didn't know that much about Lightning's past. She felt bad, she was practically dating this guy and she didn't know much about him. Dash decided she was going to try and ask.

"So Lightning, tell me more about yourself."

"Well what do you want to know?"

"I don't know. Where you're from, who your parents are, what brought you here? That sort of stuff."

"Well let's see, I was born in a small town called New Maresville. My mom was a unicorn and my dad was a Pegasus. That's why I'm a Pegasus and Thunder's a unicorn."

"That makes sense; Makes more sense than Mr. and Mrs. Cake, neither of them were unicorns or pegasi."

"Who are they?"

"Oh, just some ponies I know."

"Ah, okay."

"So does your family still live in New Maresville?"

"Well no; me and Thunder lived here, although Thunder moved to Canterlot, but my dad lives in Cloudsdale with our stepmom, and my mom…" Lightning stopped. The thought of his mother made him a bit depressed.

"Lightning? It's ok, if…if it bothers you…"

"No it's ok…My mom died years ago when I was a teenager and Thunder was just a kid."

"Oh my gosh! I am so sorry."

"No, it's not your fault. She…she died during a fire…"

"So your father got remarried afterwards?"

"Nope, our parents were only together a short period. My dad left mom and took me."

"Oh…Listen, Lightning, if you don't want to talk about this stuff, it's ok."

"No, you deserve to know. We've been together long enough." Lightning took a breath and began. "Our parents split when we were young. Me and Thunder took it hard; we were really close. If anything, the split only made us closer. Our dad got remarried almost immediately to this horrible mare. She was controlling and rude and all around a horrible pony."

Rainbow Dash sat there as Lightning recounted his tail. She hadn't realized so how cruel life had been to him and his brother.

"A few years later, I received a letter from Thunder; it told me about how mom had…how she died…and how he was being given away to another family. I went to dad to ask him why wasn't Thunder going to live with us, and he said he had refused to take him in. A lengthy argument later, I knew it was his wife who had made the decision about not letting Thunder live with us; then I decided I couldn't stand living there anymore. So, I packed up my things and ran away. I went to Thunder's new home and together we ran away. Eventually we ended up here in Las Pegasus, and I guess we just never got around to leaving."

Rainbow Dash was speechless; she hadn't realized he had lived such a hard life. She felt bad for making him remember something that obviously hurt him deeply. "Lightning…I'm sorry. I hadn't realized…"

"Don't be sorry Dashie, it felt good to finally tell someone…you know, I had promised Thunder I'd always look out for him, that I'd always be there, but after my accident, I just couldn't bring myself to do anything. Eventually I fell into a pit from which I didn't think I could escape. I had failed him and wasn't living up to the promise I had made to him. He began caring for me; I felt awful for making him do such things…"

"Lightning, you shouldn't feel so bad about such things. None of this was your fault; and you shouldn't feel bad for him taking care of you. There's nothing wrong with letting another pony help you during your time of need." Rainbow Dash took Lightning's hoof in her own and stared at the sleek white pony, "now come on, and buck up Lightning. It wouldn't be right for the second most talented Pegasus in Equestria to be so glum, especially when on a hot date with the amazing Rainbow Dash!" Lightning laughed; it seemed Rainbow Dash's little pep talk cheered him up, if only a bit.

The two continued their meal and continued their conversation. They talked about all sorts of thing: stunts, favorite foods, and favorite movies. Through their dinner the two really bonded. Finally, they paid for dinner and left; they continued their date well into the night, going to shows and whatnot. It was shaping up to be the greatest night in either's entire lives.

The couple had just left the show of a particularly talented ventriloquist, and exited to the cold night. It was late by the time they had finished, and Lightning was ready to call it a night. Rainbow Dash, on the other hand, had different plans. Suddenly, a cold night wind blew through and hit Rainbow Dash. She began to shiver; just then, she felt a hoof wrap around her and pull her close. Lightning pulled Rainbow Dash close to him, the warmth of his body made Rainbow blush. She looked at him and smiled.

"So what now Lightning? Any more planned for our date?"

"Yeah, figured I'd take you back to your hotel and say goodnight, then I'd go back to my place and go to bed."

"Uh Hu, that sounds boring."

"Well then how about we go back to my apartment then."

"Now that, sounds like it'd be fun." Both laughed; Rainbow Dash stayed close to Lightning their entire way back to his home. She enjoyed the feel of his soft coat against her own.

Finally they reached his apartment and went inside. Lightning flipped the light switch and his dim light came on, illuminating his tiny apartment.

"Whelp, it's not much, but its home…Thunder isn't here by the way, he's off to Canterlot. So we have the apartment to ourselves."

"Oh, what is he doing in Canterlot?"

"He is trying to become Luna's student."

"Oh cool. Reminds me of my friend Twilight; she's Celestia's student."

"Hey maybe they'll meet or something."

Lightning chuckled as he sat down on his couch. Rainbow sat next to him and scooted closer to him. He looked at her and she made up an excuse as to why she was so close.

"What? It's cold in here."

"I know, the heater sucks. Don't worry; I know what will keep you warm." Lightning wrapped his hooves around Rainbow and pulled her closer. This made Rainbow blush harder, and what happened next she'd never forget.

Lightning held her close; he enjoyed Rainbow's smell, the feel of her coat, and the warmth her body gave off. Lightning was happy just being with Rainbow; the simple act of cuddling made Lightning happy. The longer they stayed like that, the more bold Lightning grew. Lightning pressed his muzzle against Rainbow's neck; Rainbow's coat felt good against his face, and her smell was amazing. She smelt like…Gems maybe? Lightning wasn't sure, but it smelt amazing. He began nuzzling her neck; Rainbow responded by giggling.

The nuzzling and cuddling went on for hours before Rainbow pulled away from Lightning and turned to him. Without saying a word, both ponies leaned in; Rainbow's heart began beating faster, the butterflies in her stomach fluttered. Was she actually going to do it this time? No one was around to interrupt. So it seemed this was her chance.

They kissed. Lightning kept ahold of Rainbow as their mouths contacted. They kissed passionately for several minutes; each tongue fighting for domination. Rainbow placed her hooves on Lightning's chest. The kiss continued; neither wanting to pull away. Finally, after several minutes Rainbow pulled away; the passionate kissing left her without any breath.

"Lightning?"

"Yeah Dashie?"

"C-can…can you…" Rainbow began blushing; she wanted to take their relationship to the next level, but she wasn't sure how to tell Lightning.

Lightning knew what Rainbow wanted, but he wasn't sure if he wanted to do it. He remembered how Thunder told him about his first (and only) marefriend. He said he loved her and enjoyed being with her; they had had sex, and afterwards, they began to drift apart and they started fighting more often. Thunder told him it had ruined his relationship. Lightning did not want to ruin his relationship with Rainbow, especially when it was in its infant status.

"Lightning…l-let's…" Rainbow couldn't get the words out. Lightning couldn't help but be amused by Rainbow's inability to say she wanted sex.

"Dashie, I know what you want, and I just want to say, I don't think that that is a good idea."

"Wh-why not? Is it because I'm not pretty?" Rainbow Dash pulled away. Had she been right? Did Lightning not like her as much as she liked him? The thought depressed Rainbow. She took a step away, tears welling up in her eyes.

"What? No!"

"Look, you don't have to try and make me feel better. I know I'm not pretty. I know I'm not the prettiest mare in Equestria, but getting all dolled up just isn't who I am. I'm not like my friend Rarity, she gets all sorts of treatments to look good, but I can't stand those girlie things. But if you want a mare who's prettier, that's fine Lightning."

"Dashie…Look, I think you're the prettiest mare in the world." Lightning took a step towards Rainbow, "You're amazingly beautiful Dashie. I don't care if you go through all those spa treatments and whatnot. I like you for you, you are beautiful."

"Then…why don't you want to have sex?"

"Because I don't want to ruin our relationship. I care for you to much to do something like that."

"But Lightning…if you care about me then please do this with me. I want this Lightning. I know ponies who've had sex and it only made their relationship stronger."

"Dashie…" Lightning couldn't say no to Rainbow; the way she stared at him made him melt. He'd do anything to make Rainbow Dash happy. "Okay Dashie, If you're sure, then let's do it."

They were alone in his apartment. Lightning was still unsure, but Rainbow seemed to be hell bent on going through with this.

"LET"S GO THEN!" Rainbow jumped onto Lightning's back, causing him to collapse.

"HNNNNG!"

"Oh my gosh! You ok? Sorry Lightning, forgot pegasii aren't very strong."

"Y-yeah, I'm fine Dashie….Hnng!" Lightning strained, put all his strength into his legs, and stood back up with Rainbow still on his back. Being out of action for so long has caused him to get a bit flabby; he was not as strong as he used to be.

Slowly but surely, Lightning carried Rainbow into his room and laid her on his bed. She lied down and spread her legs and wings apart. Lightning took a good look at her; her tail was folded upwards, covering her quivering vagina. Rainbow was nervous; she had never done this with anypony before and she was scared about what would happen, but this is what she wanted.

"Lightning…I should tell you, I'm a virgin…"

"Don't worry, I'll be gentle." Lightning smiled; Rainbow wasn't the first virgin he had been with, so he knew what to do to make it feel better for her.

Lightning began with kissing Rainbow. For several minutes they just kissed; a long passionate kiss. Slowly Lightning began to kiss down Rainbow's neck; he focused on a particularly sensitive spot on her neck, and then returned to kissing downwards. Rainbow cooed and moaned at Lightning's every touch. She began to loosen up and her body spread more; her tail falling away from her vagina.

Lightning kissed and rubbed every inch of her body. He focused on her most sensitive areas: her breasts, her vagina, and her butt. Rainbow moaned and squirmed; her body was getting hotter and she began sweating. Finally, after a whole hour after starting, Lightning finished the foreplay. He got up and got on top of Rainbow. He positioned his member in front of her quivering vagina. Rainbow had heard that a girl's first time would hurt, but she knew Lightning wouldn't hurt her.

"Now, this will hurt at first, but it'll pass."

Rainbow just nodded. Lightning pressed into her; a sharp pain hit Rainbow and she let out a yelp. Lightning stopped his penetration; for a few minutes he just held his position. Finally he resumed; he began thrusting slowly at first, speeding up with every thrust. After several minutes the pain began to go away and was quickly replaced by the pleasure of Lightning's erection rubbing against her insides.

After an eternity of Lightning dominating the sexual interaction, he rolled over and let Rainbow be on top. Rainbow began bouncing up and down on top of Lightning; rubbing herself against Lightning's throbbing member. Lightning took his hooves and grabbed Rainbow's small, but firm, butt. Their love making lasted hours; both were in a complete state of pure bliss. Finally, Lightning neared his limit and he was about to ejaculate. He warned Rainbow, but instead of getting off, she continued and increased her speed. Finally Lightning couldn't take anymore and he cummed inside her. Rainbow cummed as the same moment Lightning did. The feeling of the two cumming together was better than anything Lightning and Rainbow had ever felt before.

After their intense lovemaking, the loving couple collapsed onto the bed, wrapped up in each other's embrace, drifting off to sleep.


	10. Chapter 10: Lovers Lost

Chapter 10: Lovers Lost

Slowly Lightning Bolt opened his eyes; it was the morning after his sexual interactions with Rainbow Dash, it was early, and he was tired. Groggily Lightning groped around the bed, feeling for Rainbow's warm and loving body, but as he felt around he realized she wasn't in the bed with him. Quickly Lightning shot up, fully awake now; Rainbow wasn't in his bed. He looked around his room, but Rainbow was nowhere to be seen.

Lightning got out of bed and started searching through his apartment. Everywhere he went, Rainbow was nowhere to be seen. She was gone; she must've left for home already. Lightning stood in his living room; he was alone again, and this time, maybe for good.

Rainbow Dash sat in the train car staring out the window. She had been reflecting on the past week. The past week was one of the best weeks of her life; Rainbow had never had more fun and never felt closer to anypony. She continued thinking of Lightning, how much she loved him, and how much fun he was to be around. Lost in her thoughts, Rainbow didn't notice her friends.

"Hey Rainbow Dash, ya hear us in there?" asked Rainbow's friend Applejack.

"Huh?" Rainbow Dash woke from her daydream.

"Ah said, whatcha plan on doin' when we get back ta Ponyville?"

"I don't know, I guess get back to work, make sure the weather is in order."

"Ah guess that's good; good ta get back ta work. That's what ah plan on doin' atleast."

"Omigosh! I can't wait to get back to Ponyville! I need to check up on Sugarcube Corner! Make sure the Cakes are ok. Oh and then I gotta check up on Gummy, and maybe throw a whole party for everyone!" Pinkie interjected her two cents on the matter and continued talking even though no one was really listening.

"So Rainbow Dash, tell us about that stallion you met." Said Rarity

"Yeah Rainbow, tell us!" said Twilight

"Jeez you guys, why are you so curious about this?" asked Rainbow Dash

"Because darling, it is simply wonderful you've finally found yourself a nice stallion. I implore you my dear, tell us about him." Said Rarity

"Yeah Dash, c'mon, tell us about him!" chimed in Applejack.

Rainbow rolled her eyes, "Alright." Rainbow began telling her friends about Lightning, all the things he told her, and everything they did together, leaving out the more risqué parts. Telling everything in detail took almost the entire train ride back to Ponyville. Rainbow's friends all listened intently; completely absorbed in the knowledge that Rainbow now had a coltfriend.

"Ah just can't believe it Dash, ya finally found yerself a nice stallion to make ya happy. So when ya gonna see him again?" asked Applejack.

"Huh? Oh I don't know."

"Whatcha mean ya don't know? Isn't he gonna visit or something?"

"I don't know. Maybe."

"Maybe? What's wrong? Did ya not tell him where ya lived or something?" Applejack began joking with Rainbow, but it was true, she had not told Lightning where she lived. She was so caught up being with Lightning that she forgot to tell Lightning about Ponyville, and she was in such a hurry to catch the train before it left, she had forgotten to leave Lightning any kind of way to contact her.

Her friends continued to converse with each other as the train chugged on into the night. Rainbow sat and stared out the window. She felt terrible; Lightning probably thought she had just used him. Rainbow just sat there, thinking of everything that had happened; her thoughts engulfed her and she blocked out the conversations of her friends. She kept to herself the rest of the way to Ponyville, not saying a word to her friends.

Lightning sat in his living room contemplating his next course of action. He had no money, no job, no family, no friends, he was behind on his rent, and he was running out of food; he needed a plan of action to continue living. One thing continued to infiltrate his thoughts, one cyan colored Pegasus named Rainbow Dash.

No matter what he thought about, Rainbow Dash invaded his thoughts. He was trying to plan his next move and she butted in, shaking her blue flank in his face. He was trying to figure out how he would eat, she would be flying around gracefully. He thought of a good place to work, Rainbow Dash would be laughing. He'd be trying to use the bathroom, guess who. Rainbow Dash was on his mind all the time.

After much thought, Lightning decided there was only one course of action; he had to find Rainbow Dash. If she could find him, he was sure he could find her; she was, after all, one of the saviors of Equestria. It was decided then; he would begin his search for Rainbow Dash…

_*grrrroooowwwlllll…*_

…Right after breakfast.

As the train pulled into the station, the girls got up and grabbed their respective bags. Each one filed out of the train, Rainbow Dash trailing behind. She still felt terrible for her treatment of Lightning. She hoped she'd be able to contact him, somehow.

Rainbow Dash, lost in her thoughts, didn't notice the Purple pegasus with a dark blue mane until she had bumped into him. Before she realized it, she was on the ground and he was standing over her.

"Hey Dash, you okay?" Rainbow looked up, she instantly recognized him.

"Hey Speedster! Yeah I'm fine" Rainbow Dash hopped up and gave Speedster a quick hug. "Wow I haven't seen you since Junior Speedster's camp!"

Speedster gave Rainbow Dash a wide smile, "I know, it's been forever!"

"Heya Dash! Who's yer friend?" Applejack and the other's walked up next to Rainbow Dash.

"Oh, hey Applejack. Everyone, this is Speedster, he's an old friend of mine."

"Nice to meet you, I'm Twilight Sparkle."

"Hello Darling, I am Rarity, pleasure."

"Howdy Partner, th' name's Applejack!"

"Um…h-hi…Nice to meet you. I-I'm…Fluttershy…"

"Oooh Hi! My name is Pinkie Pie! Nice to meet you!"

"Hello, nice to meet you all." Speedster stood with a large grin on his face. He had heard of all of these ponies before and was excited to meet them, but what he really wanted, was to catch up with Rainbow Dash.

"Hey guys, mind if I catch up with you later? I wanna talk with Speedster."

"Of course Rainbow, we'll see you later." Said Twilight as her and the others began walking off.

"So Speedster, what you been up to?"

"Oh you know same old same old. Weather duties in Phillydelphia and all that. What about you?"

"Well I just got back from Las Pegasus."

"Whoa sounds badass."

"Heh, yeah it was pretty fun. So you wanna go get some cupcakes or something?"

"Yeah sure!" Speedster had a massive grin on his face as he and Rainbow Dash trotted off to Sugarcube Corner. He had high hopes for his visit, and he planned not to mess anything up.


	11. Chapter 11: An Unexpected Visitor

Chapter 11: An Unexpected Visitor

A thick layer of sweat covered Applejack's coat. She had been working in the hot sun all day bucking apple trees. She had cleared over a third of the orchard that day, a personal best for her. She had worked diligently since before day break. Applejack set her hooves back on the ground and wiped the sweat from her brow. She looked up and peered over the horizon, spotting a distant figure approaching.

Applejack went back to work and waited for the figure to come nearer. She continued to buck, knocking down several apples into the large bushels. The figure approached Applejack and she looked up, wiping the sweat from her eyes.

"Howdy there partner…The name's Applejack, what can I do fer ya?"

The pony was covered in dirt and his mane was scraggly. He looked like he hadn't showered in weeks, and smelt just as bad. He stared at Applejack and smiled with his patented cockiness, "Hello there, my name's Lightning Bolt. I'm looking for Rainbow Dash."

Rainbow Dash sat in Sugarcube Corner, munching on a delicious chocolate cupcake. Across from her sat Speedster, munching on his own cupcake. The two had spent the entirety of two weeks together, catching up on old times and creating new memories. Rainbow Dash had forgotten how much fun Speedster was, and how much she missed him.

The two joked and laughed and conversed for hours, before finally paying for their cupcakes and leaving the bakery. They continued to walk around Ponyville, talking and playing. Rainbow Dash was enjoying herself, and so was Speedster.

"Man Speed, you're so awesome!"

"Yeah I know." Speedster joked. Speedster was enjoying every second of his time with Rainbow Dash. He had never told her this, but he has had a crush on her since they first met all the way back in Junior Speedsters. He hadn't seen her in years, and that didn't help out his love for her any.

"So Speed, wanna race? First one to the bridge wins!" Rainbow Dash quickly spread her wings and got into racing position.

"HA! You're on Dash!" Speedster too got into position.

"Ready...Set…GO!" as her words left her mouth, both ponies shot off towards the bridge. Rainbow Dash easily took a handsome lead, but towards the end Speedster slowly began catching up. By the time the two reached the bridge, they were neck and neck. Rainbow Dash just narrowly won in the end.

"Jeez Speed, did you get faster since the last time we met?" Rainbow Dash huffed and puffed and wiped the bead of sweat off of her. She looked at Speedster and smiled

"Hehe, yeah I've been practicing flying, trying to get better so maybe I could be at your level…Guess I'm not quite there yet." Speedster nervously laughed and rubbed the back of his head. He had spent his entire childhood trying to impress Rainbow Dash, pushing himself to the breaking point.

Rainbow Dash let out a loud laugh, "Sorry Speed, but nobody is at my level." She said rather arrogantly, "Although, you have improved. Last time we flew you were all clumsy and crashed into things."

It was true; Speedster was notorious for his clumsiness and inability to fly right. The other pegasii always poked fun at him for it. Speedster didn't mind, he just continued to be himself and always tried to improve.

"Thanks Rainbow…" Speedster grinned his silly grin and rubbed the back of his head.

"So what now Speed? Whatcha wanna do now?"

"Oh…um…I don't know, hadn't planned anything out." Speedster laughed. His goofy laugh was infectious and soon Rainbow Dash was laughing as well.

"BAHAHA!" Rainbow Dash looked up and stared at Speedster, "Well how about we go back to my place? We can just hang out here if you want."

Speedster blushed a little bit and looked away, "Um…Yeah sure! Sounds like a great idea Rainbow Dash."

"Alright then! How about a race to my place?" Before Speedster could respond, Rainbow Dash had bolted into the sky and flown off.

"Hey! No fair!" Speedster quickly flew off and followed Rainbow Dash.

After a short fly through the sky, the duo arrived at Rainbow Dash's cloud home. Rainbow unlocked her door and pushed it open, before walking inside. "Welcome to my home!"

Speedster walked into the fluffy cloud house and took a look around. The walls were covered in Wonderbolt posters. "Still obsessed with the Wonderbolts I see."

"Of course! The Wonderbolts are the greatest fliers ever, what's not to obsess over?"

Speedster only laughed at this and rolled his eyes. He personally never was a big fan of the Wonderbolts, but he could see the appeal.

The two ponies lounged around Rainbow Dash's house for a while, continuing talking, but Speedster was beginning to get tired from just talking. He began to feel that it was time to make his move, it had, after all, been two and a half weeks since they started hanging out. It was time, he felt Rainbow Dash was his marefriend, but he had to confirm it, and what better way to do that than with a kiss.

"Say Rainbow Dash…um…you look really pretty today…" Smooth Speedster.

"Thanks Speed, nice of you to say that." Rainbow Dash smiled and Speedster blushed, his apparent lack of skill in talking to girls shined through like a neon sign.

"S-so Rainbow Dash, um…it certainly is late."

"Oh yeah, I guess it is getting a bit late."

"Yeah, guess you want me to leave, huh?"

"Nah it's alright, you can stay later if ya want."

The clock struck 11 PM, it certainly was late, but Speedster couldn't leave just yet. He was on a mission to make Rainbow Dash his, he had waited far too long to just give up now. "So Rainbow Dash…remember back in Junior Speedsters how you always stood up for whenever the others bullied me?"

"Yeah of course, those ponies were jerks!"

"Yeah they were….So, you know how Gilda used to make fun of us for being so close? Saying we were dating?"

"Yeah? Where you going with this Speed?"

"W-well…She was right, I did like you, and I wanted you to be my marefriend."

"Wait…what?"

"I wanted…want, you to be my marefriend."

"A-are you asking me out Speed?"

"I guess so."

Rainbow Dash stood shocked, this was the first time anyone had asked her to be their marefriend, even Lightning hadn't actually asked her out. She wasn't sure how to respdond. "I-I…"

Before she could answer, Speedster pressed his lips against hers. Rainbow Dash blushed and grew more shocked, but she didn't pull away. She stood froze, not sure what to do…then, she regained control, and instead of pulling away, pushed herself into Speedster, deepening the kiss.

The two stood immobile, lips locked in combat, for several minutes. Finally they pulled away and looked at each other.

"I-I'm sorry Rainbow Dash, I just…"

"It's okay Speed, I enjoyed it. You're really good at that, where did ya learn?" Rainbow Dash laughed and poked Speedster."

"Hehe…just…comes naturally I guess. So does this mean you'll be my marefriend?"

"Slow down there Speed, I'm not exactly ready for a real relationship yet. I'll have to think about it."

"Oh, okay. Sounds good then," Speedster smiled at Rainbow Dash and she returned the smile. "Guess I better be off."

"See you later Speed, be safe. Thanks for the night." Rainbow Dash gave him a quick peck on the cheek as he walked out. Speedster blushed and hurried off. Rainbow smiled, but she wasn't happy. She felt conflicted, unsure how to feel. She felt happy because she had a potential coltfriend, but upset with herself for succumbing to the kiss, as if she had cheated on Lightning.

Rainbow Dash laid down on her soft, fluffy cloud bed and crawled under the covers. Why was she so upset? Not like her and Lightning were dating, it was just a thing that happened. Besides, no telling how many mares Lightning has had sex with before, as well as after, herself. He was, after all, a notorious marenizer, and probably held no real feelings for Rainbow Dash. So why did these feelings persist?

Rainbow Dash couldn't understand, so with thoughts of the kiss and thoughts of Lightning and Speedster all jumbled in her head, Rainbow Dash fell asleep.

Lightning trotted through Ponyville, having asked Applejack where Rainbow Dash was proved to be fruitless, as she didn't know where Dash had gotten off to. It didn't bother Lightning any, he just kept trotting along, safe in the knowledge that he'd find her eventually.

Lightning trotted through the small town, looking for any signs of Rainbow Dash. He asked everyone he met, but surprisingly, nobody knew where she was, a few people said they had seen her and another pony at Sugarcube Corner. So that's where Lightning decided to look. He went off, but soon realized he had no idea where Sugarcube Corner even was, and he felt foolish asking for directions from the same ponies over and over. So he kept his mouth shut and continued his journey. He figured with a name like Sugarcube Corner, that it'd be a pastry shop of some kind, so he looked for the sweetest looking building he could find.

Lightning had been through hell and back on his journey to Ponyville. It had taken all of what little money he had, and all his food reserves. He hitchhiked, stowed away on trains and balloons, and simply walked, anything to reach this town. He avoided pony eating monsters, dangerous trails, and homicidal ponies who wanted his skin for a full body suit, it took him two and a half weeks and all his strength, and he was tired, hungry, and dirty, but he had made it. He felt a renewed sense of strength as he looked around Ponyville, taking in the simplistic beauty and fresh, countryside air.

Finally Lightning spotted a cupcake shaped building, "That has to be it." Lightning said to himself. He trotted along and went inside. He looked around and saw the walls looked like they were made of gingerbread. Delicious pastries sat behind the counter. Lightning's mouth began to water as the aroma of the building hit him.

"Hi! Welcome to Sugarcube Corner, my name is Pinkie Pie! How can I help you?" A bright pink pony stood behind the counter, she seemed friendly enough.

"Hello, my name is Lightning, I'm looking for a Pegasus named Rainbow Dash."

"Oh Rainbow Dash? Lightning?" Pinkie gasped and her eyes bulged out slightly. "You must be Rainbow Dash's coltfriend! Wow I didn't think I'd actually get to meet you!"

"Her c-coltfriend?" Lightning blushed a bright red. Had Rainbow Dash thought they were dating? This lifted Lightning's spirits greatly. "Yeah I suppose I am."

"Well it's so nice to meet you! I'll have to throw you a welcome to Ponyville party! Oh oh oh , and a Congratulations on Dating my Best Friend party."

"Th-there's a party for that?"

"Well duh! There's a party for everything silly."

"Righteous!" Lightning laughed, he really liked this pony, she was so fun. "So anyways, have you seen Dashie?"

"Dash…? Oh yeah, she was in here earlier, she was with another pony, a friend of hers named Speedster."

Lightning tilted his head confused, "Another pony? Speedster?"

"Yeah, an old friend of hers from Junior Speedsters, they've been hanging out since Dash got back from Las Pegasus."

"Really now…And where are they now?"

"Oh they left awhile ago, I don't know where they are now. Probably her home."

"And where is that at?" Pinkie Pie gave Lightning very detailed directions to Rainbow Dash's house, and even warned him of falling through clouds.

"Thanks Pinkie." Lightning left. He wasn't sure how he'd get into Dash's home, but atleast he knew where it was. After a short walk Lightning found the large cloud home of Rainbow Dash, and began pondering how to get up there. After a few minutes of thinking, Lightning spotted a balloon ride and ran over. He paid the driver and floated up Rainbow Dash's house and hopped off. "Hold here for a bit, I'll be back."

Lightning walked up to the house and knocked on the door. He waited, but no one answered. He knocked again, but no one answered. He checked the door, it was unlocked. He felt no one would mind, so he let himself in. He walked in and could hear two ponies talking; one was distinctly Rainbow Dash's. He followed the voices through the house. He walked into one room and looked around. What he saw made his heart skip a beat. There in the middle of the room was Rainbow Dash and another Pegasus making out. Before Lightning could say or do anything, he ran outside on impulse. He hopped in the balloon and floated away. Just as he left he saw the other Pegasus walk out and take off flying. His heart sank, so Rainbow Dash didn't wait for him. Had he taken too long? Was this his fault? Lightning couldn't answer any of these questions; he just sat silently as the balloon slowly floated back down to the hard earth.

Upon reaching the ground, Lightning bolted out and began galloping away. He wasn't sure where he was going, or even why he was running. He just kept going, and going. Soon Ponyville was nothing but a distant image on the horizon as Lightning kept galloping.

He finally stopped when his lungs and already aching muscles could take no more. He sat underneath a tree and looked around, he was in a large, intimidating forest, but that didn't matter. He looked at the ground and began wondering what it was he had just witnessed. Was it really Rainbow Dash making out with another pony? How long have they been doing that? Did she really not have any feelings whatsoever for Lightning? Had she really just used him in Las Pegasus, not expecting him to come looking for her? Why did she do this to him? He thought she actually cared for him. Lightning couldn't help it; he finally broke down and, for the first time since his mother's funeral, began crying…


End file.
